News Broadcasting
BBC.com sees record traffic in India post Brexit results
MUMBAI: Indians seeking the latest on the UK’s vote to leave the European Union have helped BBC.com reach a record breaking spike in traffic. On the day the historic result became clear– June 24, the BBC’s international news services were in demand as people around the world sought to understand what the next steps are and what it could mean for them.
Operating a dedicated url during the campaign at bbc.com/eureferendum and following up with bbc.com/brexit to bring audiences updates after the result, meant the global news platform has been able to provide a continuing wealth of content drawing on the BBC’s network of experienced correspondents particularly across politics, business and finance (such as EU referendum: Will India benefit from Brexit? and UK starts post-Brexit trade talks with India)
Globally BBC.com attracted more than 21million unique browsers and 114million page views on results day (Friday 24hJune) alone – with 30million unique browsers and 170million page views across the weekend*.
In India alone, unique browsers increased by 170% with page views going up by 324%, when compared to the average daily amount in May 2016 as per Adobe Digital Analytix.
Page views per browser stood at 3.9 on the day of the result which was +56% compared to average daily figure in May 2016*. Even after the initial furore around the result had died down in India the daily average of unique browsers and page views was still 44% and 43% more respectively after 72hours, than the average daily traffic for May*.
Speaking about the spike in traffic, BBC Global News COO Naveen Jhunjhunwala said,“These record figures are testament to the effort of the BBC World News teams, as they have worked tirelessly to help our global audiences make sense of this historic and fast paced story. That so many people, not just in India but around the world, made BBC.com their go to place for impartial trusted, information and analysis on the decision by UK voters to leave the European Union is incredibly heartening.”
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
